PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Jan. 11-17: Beautiful and Machinal Open on Broadway and Titanic Will Sail Back to the Stage

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17 Jan 2014

Daniel Radcliffe

Photo by Johan Persson

Was there ever a famous actor more determined to earn his stage stripes than Daniel Radcliffe?

The former big-screen Harry Potter will not just undertake just any theatre part. No, he accepts only those that can be seen from a mile away as unmistakably challenging. He began with Equus, which required him to be both crazy and naked. He followed that up with How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a full-blown, old-fashioned musical comedy lead that would have taxes the resources of any actor.

Radcliffe previously played the part in a sold-out West End run last summer at the Noel Coward Theatre, directed by Michael Grandage. It will transfer to Broadway's Cort Theatre in April. Set to begin previews April 12, towards an April 20 opening, the production marks the Broadway premiere for playwright McDonagh's work, which was previously seen Off-Broadway in 1998 at the Public Theater and in 2008 at the Atlantic Theater. It will play a limited run through July 20.

This will be the third Broadway go-round for the classic comedy. Noises Off premiered on Broadway in 1983 and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. The original production ran over 550 performances. It was last revived on Broadway in 2001.

Roundabout also plans to bring back Tom Stoppard's romantic drama Indian Ink, directed by Carey Perloff, in September 2014 at the Laura Pels Theatre.

Presented on Broadway in 1997, it ran for two years and surprised many by winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. Nonetheless, the reviews were tepid and the show's reputation is largely as a failure.